Carton holder and handle



FEW 31, 1955 y 5, MELVILLE Eflfififififi CARTON HOLDER AND HANDLE Filed Decs. 8, 1951 JOHN B: M-Z mm INVENTOR.

United States Patent 0 CARTON HOLDER AND HANDLE John B. Melville, Torrance, Calif.

Application December 8, 1951, Serial No. 260,676

3 Claims. (Cl. 294-8728) The present invention relates to improved holders for cartons, such as milk cartons, for purposes of facilitating carrying and handling of a plurality of the same as a unit.

Milk is often sold in cardboard paraifin impregnated rectangular cartons in one-quart and Z-quart sizes; thus requiring cartons of two sizes. Some dairies prefer to sell their milk in Z-quart cartons.

An important object of the present invention is to provide means for handling and carrying a plurality of containers as a unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved combination handle and gripping element which may be easily applied to a plurality of cartons, which is inexpensive so that the same may be considered as an expendable item.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved combination handle and gripping element which may be easily applied to a plurality of cartons to efiect the intended purpose and which remains in tight gripping relationship to the cartons so that there is less likelihood of accidental detachment of cartons when carrying and handling the same as a unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination handle and carton gripping element which is inherently resilient, which may be readily applied and which is relatively inexpensive.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a combination carton and gripping element embodying features of the present invention in operative relationship to a pair of paraflin impregnated paper cartons.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the combination handle and gripping element illustrated in Figure 1, such element being shown in its operative position in full lines and is also illustrated in phantom lines for purposes of indicating the manner in which the element is applied to the pair of cartons.

Figure 3 is an end view of the combination handle and gripping element in operative relationship to the carton.

The combination handle and gripping element is of some inexpensive and inherently resilient or elastic material, such as an organic plastic, wire or metal, and comprises in general a downwardly extending centrally located supporting post 10, provided with an enlarged triangular portion 10A at its lowest extremity having its apex pointing downwardly for purposes of providing a pair of hooking elements or article supporting seats, namely, a pair of outwardly extending hooking elements or seats 10B, 10C, which are adapted to engage the under sides of the rectangular or square flange, lip, or edge of a pair of cartons 12-12.

Also, this combination handle and gripping element includes a pair of resilient arms 10E, 10F, which are supported as cantilevers on the upper end of the post 10, the outer or free ends of each of such arms 10E, 10F being provided with downwardly extending triangular portions 10G, 10H, respectively. Such triangular portions 10G, 10H are each recessed at 10] and 10K respectively, so as to provide a seat or hook for engagement with the flange 11 of the carton 12, so as to resiliently engage such flange 11.

This combination handle and gripping element, designated generally by the reference numeral 9, is applied as indicated in Figure 2, by moving such element 9 from its position shown in phantom lines to its position shown in full lines. During such movement the outer end of the resilient or deformable arms 10E, 10F are initially deflected outwardly during the time the flange 11 engages the triangular portions 10G, 10H; continued downward movement results in registry of the seats 10], 10K with the flange 11 and thereupon the arms 10E, 10F move inwardly with a snapping movement to resiliently engage the flange 11.

Simultaneously with such seating of the flange 11 in the seats 101, 10K, the central triangular hooks or seats 10B, 10C are being disposed or are already disposed below the flange 11. This operation may be accomplished simply by a person pressing the post 10 downwardly by applying a force thereon in the direction. indicated by the arrow 14, with, of course, the cartons 12 resting on a flat supporting surface such as a table top.

Once the handle and gripping element 9 is thus positioned, the two cartons 12 may be carried and handled as a unit. For purposes of convenience, in dispensing the milk from the cartons, the combination handle and gripping element 9 may be detached from at least one of the cartons by a person grasping diiierent cartons 12 with different hands at the lower ends of such cartons and moving such lower ends of the carton apart from each other. This operation may be accomplished very quickly and Without much etfort since in such case the cartons themselves serve as cantilevers through which manual forces thus applied are multiplied.

The cartons 12, as shown in the drawings, are each of conventional one-quart size.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this: invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A carrier for a pair of flat-sided containers having flanges on at least two opposite sides of the upper end thereof, comprising: a central post reduced on opposite sides for at least a portion of its length and terminating at its lower end with an enlarged portion immediately below said reduced portion forming a pair of upwardly facing seats to underlie and support adjacent portions of the flanges of a pair of said containers positioned in side-by-side relationship; and a pair of resilient clamping arms integrally joined at their inner ends with the upper end of said central post and extending outwardly in opposite directions, the free end of each of said arms being provided with an inwardly directed portion to underlie a portion of the flanges of said containers opposite said portion of said flanges supported by said seats, with said central post having suflicient length above said seats to raise the inner ends of said clamping arms above the upper ends of said containers to provide a space for the insertion of fingers for lifting purposes but with the length of said central post above said seats being less than the distance between the central post at said seats and the portion of the free ends of said clamping arms engaging said flanges.

2. A carrier for a pair offlat-sided containers having flanges on at least two opposite sides of the upper end thereof, comprising: a central post reduced on opposite sides for at least a portion of its length and terminating at its lower end with an enlarged portion immediately below said reduced portion forming a pair of upwardly facing seats to underlie and support adjacent portions of the flanges of a pair of said containers positioned in sideby-side relationship, said enlarged portion of said central post being provided with. a pair of converging cam surfaces; and a pair of resilient clamping arms integrally joined at their inner ends with the upper end of said central post and extending outwardly in opposite directions, the free end of each of said arms being provided with an inwardly'directed portion to underlie a portion of the flanges of said containers opposite said portion of said flanges supported by said seats, the free end of each of said arms being provided below said flange underlying portion With a downwardly and outwardly extending earn surface, the cam surface of each of said clamping arms forming, with the opposed cam surface of said cen- "tachment of the'carrier'to a pair of side-by sidecontainers by downward movement of said carrier with respect to said containers, with said central post having suflficient length above said seats to raise the inner ends of said clamping arms above the upper ends of said containers to provide space for the insertion of fingers for lifting purposes but with the length of said central post above said seats being less than the distance between the central post at said seats and the portion of the free ends of said clamping arms engaging said flanges.

3. The carrier of claim 2 in which said clamping arms extend continuously outwardly and downwardly from their inner ends to the flange engagingportions of said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED'STATES PATENTS 1,776,680 Doyle Sept.'23, 1930 1,854,379 Oakden Apr. 19, 1932 2,102,348 Balochi Dec. 14, 1937 2,349,531 Weir May'23, 1944 2,509,113 Sweet May 23, 1950 2,510,641 Koscher June 6; 195-0 

